


Of Flowers and Foolery

by excuseyoupeasant



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Dialogue Heavy, Flowers, Fluff, HA I FLIPPED IT, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Titles, Kim Seungmin is Whipped, M/M, Seo Changbin is Whipped, and a huge loser, and also a huge loser, anywho, boxer seungmin, changbin hates everyone, changbin just hates his job all his customers are fuckin idiots, florist changbin, friends with benefits except the benefits are just puns and cuddles and maybe they kiss on occasion, fuckin neither of them know that their relationship status is which is a mood, i literally did not proofread this at all so if it makes no chronological sense then sorry, i think, she's there for like two seconds and may or may not be based on robin from stranger things, so much smiling and grinning bc this is my attempt at replicating happiness, they're just losers in love tbh, we don't proofread in this house WE DIE LIKE WARRIORS, working in retail is hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 08:18:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19786930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/excuseyoupeasant/pseuds/excuseyoupeasant
Summary: in which changbin works at a flower shop and hates it so very much, but his best friend (maybe more) seungmin makes his day a little less terrible





	Of Flowers and Foolery

**Author's Note:**

> i HAVE NOT WRITTEN  
> in SEVEN GODDAMN MONTHS  
> it is already FUCKING JULY and i already go back to school in THREE WEEKS what in the HELL
> 
> someone just kill me i hate that this is all i was able to slap together

Changbin was already dying inside by noon. His hands already ached, stuck in a constant loop of grabbing a bunch of yellow carnations, dropping them into a small bubble vase, and setting it all in the crate in front of him. By now the yellow just plain hurt his eyes, but at least it wasn’t some sad, exclusively sickly green theme. Changbin had seen far too many in the five years he’d worked at this particular florist.

It also didn’t help that today was particularly busy as well, and not even just for the wedding the shop had been chosen for. It just set him back, especially when his deadline was in just a week. Still, it was refreshing to take a break from all the yellow flowers. It was good to stop the tedious work for even a few minutes and sell someone a potted plant, and it brought him more joy than usual to make a bouquet of orchids and ivy for someone wanting to surprise her wife for their anniversary, or one simply of peach roses for a boy wanting to ask his crush out, or one for a sad man who has some serious groveling to do for his wife when she gets home (there were more than plenty of those all the time). Hell, he even liked watching people buy loose flowers that didn’t go together in the least and then claim that they’ll make their own with them more than making the same arrangements he’d been making since 8:00 that morning.

He had just come back to the front after putting his final finished crate in the cooler in the back, returning instead with a rolling wire rack stacked with square-shaped vases, several different flowers, and a bunch of oranges and lemons, when the sensor above the entrance chimed as the door opened, along with a short, “Hey, Minnie,” from the girl Nara, stationed at the table near his, weaving flowers into a large white arch. Changbin glanced up to see Seungmin walking in with a pot of succulents, and just seeing him there brought a smile to his face.

“Oh thank God,” he joked, taking a vase right off of the top. “Took you long enough—I was just about ready to blow my brains out doing this.”

Seungmin laughed. “Hello to you too.” He came closer, putting the pot on the tabletop as Changbin set another vase. “What are you doing?”

Changbin glanced up at him. “Making bouquets and arrangements for a wedding,” he said, grabbing an orange and a lemon from the rack, and a knife from the drawer. 

“With… lemons and oranges?” questioned Seungmin with a laugh.

“Yep. The wedding planner was real specific about the bride’s wishes,” said Changbin, cutting the orange into thin slices, then doing the same with a lemon. “I made two hundred with carnations, which are a goddamn terrible idea for weddings since those are _funeral flowers_ and also they’re just cheap as shit, and now I need, like, a hundred or so of these fuckers.”

“Jesus, how long have you been going at this?”

“Since eight this morning,” Changbin said, taking the slices and lining the sides of the vase with layers of them. “I probably wouldn’t have been this mad about it if I were able to make the bridal bouquet and actually have a pleasant time putting love and care into it, but the one entirely straight guy here gets to do it, and he sucks at making bouquets, not gonna lie. I even would’ve been happy making the bouquets for the bridesmaids, because at least those are more complex than these, and I also don’t have to do as much.”

“Couldn’t you ask your boss or something about changing up who does what?” questioned Seungmin.

“I tried, but she said that this was the best station for me and her decisions were final, so I’m stuck doing the bouquets for all the tables and accents, which there are so fucking many because the bride is inviting literally everybody on the face of the earth, along with the accent pieces.” He began to arrange the flowers into a shape and order he deemed fit, poured some water slowly into it, and then he set the flowers carefully into the vase, so not to disturb the fruit slices and knock them out of place.

“At least these are more complex than the other ones, though, right?” said Seungmin, trying to cheer Changbin up even just a little. “Not just a bunch of the same flower.”

“Well, yeah, I can’t be mad about the color and flower choices because at least this goes together, but I always have the tedious shit when we do weddings or funerals. Plus, I only have a week and a half to get all this shit done—and i still have loads more to do—and I don’t know why the happy couple couldn’t make the planning period longer so everything had enough time to get done because I already know, even if we get done in time, not everything else will be, because this is _a huge fucking wedding_.”

Seungmin frowned. “That doesn’t make sense logically,” he said.

“No, but when I asked why we didn’t have more time, she just told us that it had to do with the bride’s family’s religion or whatever, which I guess means either she doesn’t know the reason, she doesn’t want to give us the reason, or there’s actually some religion out there where you have to get married, like, two weeks after you get engaged.”

“Can I see this really quick?” Seungmin then asked, unintentionally changing the subject as he gently took the vase into his hands.

“Hm? Oh—sure.” Changbin was already starting on the next arrangement. He made a layer of the remaining slices of fruit around one of the sides before needing to slice more. “I’m very confused as to who actually puts fruit in floral arrangements.”

“Maybe they just wanted to be unique,” said Seungmin, swiping a lemon slice. “I mean, it’s summer, and citrus usually is a summer thing.”

Changbin shrugged before looking up to see Seungmin removing the peel from the outside of the slice before popping the fruit into his mouth. “Alright, now I did not just see you eat straight up lemon.”

“What? Lemon’s good!” Seungmin claimed. “It’s sweet.”

“How in the hell is lemon, of all things, sweet?” Changbin questioned. “Sure, lemon _pastries_ , but not just a whole ass lemon.”

“Well, maybe it’s just me.” Seungmin grinned at him. “But my eye isn’t twitching, so it wouldn’t be sour enough for me anyway.” 

“You’re insane,” Changbin joked.

“And that’s why you love me so much,” Seungmin teased him. He looked down at the arrangement and gazed over the flowers and leaves intently and then at the fruit along the sides of the vase. “This is really pretty, actually,” he said simply, sliding it back over to Changbin, who took it with a smile and set it in its empty space on the rack. “You should totally start giving me bouquets, by the way.”

Changbin paused, seemingly caught off guard with a hesitant smile on his face. “Why?”

“Well, ‘cause they’re usually given to someone as a token of love or gratitude! Er, you know, depending on the flower.” Seungmin smiled shyly. “And, well, since it’s been a while since we starting doing… you know”—he gestured between them—“ _this_ , it sort of makes sense.” Then, his smile grew a bit more mischievous. “Plus, it’s already common knowledge you’re entirely in lo—”

“ _Okay_ , this is where you shut up,” Changbin said quickly, taking one of the slices and thrusting it towards Seungmin’s mouth. Seungmin only laughed and took the offering instead of delving further into the topic.

“That’s gay,” Nara mumbled under her breath with a grin.

Thankfully, before the conversation could go anywhere else, an older-looking woman walked through the door and made a beeline for the two. “Excuse me,” she said when she reached the table. Seungmin moved aside with his plants to make way for her. “You’re Changbin, right? The girl in the greenhouse said I should talk to you.”

“Yep, that’s me. What can I help you with today, ma’am?” Changbin set another finished arrangement on the rack, immediately assuming that happy-go-lucky-customer-service-person attitude, and it was strange for Seungmin to witness every time he did so while he was there, especially because Changbin would always be complaining about how much he hates his customers.

“Well, I bought one of the anthuriums here a month or so ago, and I was just wondering how to properly take care of it,” she explained. “I’m noticing the leaves going brown and brittle and the color is draining out of it, and I’m seeing the roots trying to come out of the top of the soil and through the draining holes, and I was wondering if there was something I’m doing wrong?”

Changbin sent Seungmin a knowing glance before leaning forward onto the table. “Alright, how about you tell me just how you’ve been taking care of it for the last month or so? Like how often you water it and how much, where you keep it, how hot or cold is it in your house, et cetera.”

She told him all the necessary and unnecessary details, and Changbin felt like he was dying all over again. _Can’t people actually do their research before buying a tropical plant?_ Still, he calmly explained to her what she was doing wrong, commended her for the few things she was doing right, and gave her advice on how to improve her plant’s health. Watching him in action made Seungmin for some reason feel a bit inadequate compared to him. He certainly must’ve looked inadequate, with Changbin pristine in his uniform (which was really just an apron over his regular clothes, but he made it work), and Seungmin in sweats with a bruised and bloodied up face, still partially swollen in some parts. But he simply focused on admiring his plants instead until the woman left, already thinking about what he’d name each of them.

Soon enough she was gone after several rounds of thanks, and Changbin slumped against the table as soon as the door shut behind her.

“Oh my god,” Nara groaned. “You’d think people would actually look up how to care for certain plants before actually buying them.” 

“Honestly,” said Changbin. He then gave Seungmin a tired smile. “You’re healing up well, by the way.”

“Hm? Oh—yeah, I guess so.” Seungmin’s hand immediately went to his face, brushing his fingertips along the dark purple spot below his eye. “At least the swelling’s mostly gone down.” A small, basfully proud smile came to his face then. “I’m still super proud of myself for winning last week. That guy was tough.”

“You count getting hospitalized as a win?” Changbin questioned with a laugh.

“Hey, I may have gone to a hospital, but he did too,” Seungmin claimed, which he wasn’t wrong about. “He was way worse off than me. You know, because I beat his ass into a pulp.” He wasn’t wrong about that either; it was a close match, but by the end Seungmin managed to knock his opponent out and win it, and by then the poor guy looked terrible as he was being put into one of the ambulances. Then again, Seungmin was faring no better despite being the winner of the fight.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Changbin grinned. “How’s your head, by the way?”

“Not better in the least, to be honest,” Seungmin admitted. “I still have really bad headaches, like, all the time, and I’m honestly feeling super dizzy right now. Not feeling sick though, which is good.”

“Min, you should be home then,” Changbin said, concern etching into his features.

“Yeah, I know,” Seungmin sighed, defeated. “But it was just so boring at my house, and I just sit there in the dark with nothing to do. None of my friends are exactly walking distance from my house and plus it’s about to rain so it’s not like the brightness is killing me too much.” He tilted his head. “I just wanted to see you is all.”

Changbin’s face softened. “You’re gonna be the death of me someday,” he joked, fondness in his voice. “Still, I don’t want you hurting yourself any further just because you’re bored. How about this, I’ll come see you after work. It might take a while, though, because I need to work overtime if I wanna get all of these done before my deadline.”

“Doesn’t someone normally help you?” Seungmin asked.

“Well, yeah, but Siyeon is out sick today, oh-so-conveniently for me,” said Changbin. “I texted her the details though, and she said she’d be back tomorrow to help me.”

“Hey!” Nara interjected, letting the flower she was starting to weave into the arch fall to the ground. She set her hands on her hips. “I have to do the wedding arch! And I have to do it alone every time we do a wedding!”

“Excuse you, that’s one thing, and you have a whole week!” Changbin claimed. “Siyeon and I have to do hundreds of different bouquets, and we _would_ have three people on our team, but Jisung just fucks around half the time!”

“Girls, girls, you’re both pretty,” Seungmin threw in, effectively shutting them both up and bringing a smile to Changbin’s face. Seungmin simply looked down at the counter, feigning innocence as he fidgeted with his hands. Then he found himself squinting. “I think I’ll head home, actually,” he said. “The room is spinning more than usual.”

“Oh. Okay then. Come over here then; I’ll just check these out for you.”

“Already on it!” Nara practically bounced away from her work station and stationed herself behind one of the empty cash registers (Why were they all empty anyway? Usually at lease Minho was there, even if he was listening to music and reading a book or scrolling through his phone), scanned the plant’s barcode, discreetly gave Seungmin a discount, and Seungmin handed over a few loose bills.

“What are you gonna name those three?” Changbin called, leaning on the worktable.

Seungmin thought on it for a few more seconds, taking the pot back into his hands. “Edgar, Allan, and Poe,” he said, pointing to each respective succulent. A shy smile came to his face.

“Like the poet?” Nara said.

Seungmin only nodded, toying with the leaves of one of them.

“It’s cute,” Changbin grinned. “I like it. It’s just like you.”

“You think so?” Seungmin finally slid the pot off of the table and into his arms, giving yet another warm smile to Changbin. “Well, see you after work,” he sang, turning to walk away.

“Oh, wait up!” Changbin called abruptly, surprising even himself. He stood baffed for a moment as Nara and Seungmin stared at him, mostly confused, as even he failed to remember what he had been planning, but he recalled it a second later. “Wait right there.” He rushed to the cooler in the back of the shop, grabbed a bouquet, and sped back to the front to give it to Seungmin. “Um, here.”

Seungmin slowly took it, smiling tentatively. He stared down at the complimenting mix of primroses, tulips, and daffodils. “What’s this for?” he questioned.

“Er, well,” began Changbin, “bouquets are usually given as a token of love and appreciation, like you said, and I, uh…” He faltered, struggling to find his words, especially when Nara was leaning over the counter, amusedly smirking at him. “I really appreciate you, Seungmin.” When Seungmin laughed, entirely fond and entertained, Changbin found himself panicking. “And, um, it’s also, you know, to congratulate you for winning your match on Wednesday.”

Seungmin grinned at him. “Thank you, Changbin,” he hummed. “I appreciate you too.” He shifted his careful hold on the pot to accommodate the bouquet as well. “I’ll see you after work.”

“Bye,” Changbin hastily called after him as Seungmin walked out the door.

Changbin stared at the place Seungmin stood, feeling entirely stupid. That was the clumsiest attempt at being cute the world had ever seen. Still, at least Seungmin seemed to find it endearing, so that was a good thing, right?

“That was _real_ smooth, Seo,” Nara remarked smugly from her spot behind the counter.

“Shut up!”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry you had to witness that and now i suppose it's time for me to go back into hibernation


End file.
